THE SUGAR DEADLOCK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17571, 9 September 1920, Page 4

THE SUGAR DEADLOCK.

COURTS TO VISIT WORKS. AWARD EXPECTED SHORTLY. STATEMENT BY MR. MASSEY. PUBLIC FEELING THE PINCH. [BT TKLEGBAPH. — BETOBTEB.I WELLINGTON. Wednesday.

Questions bearing upon the sugar situation are becoming a daily feature of the proceedings of Parliament. The first of a series was asked this afternoon by Mr. E. Kellet (Dunedin North), who asked the president of the Board of Trade {Hon. E. P. Lee) if he could giv« the House a statement Of the true position of the sugar shortage. There were in Dunedin from eight hundred to a thousand people walking the streets owing to factories being closed down in consequence of the sugar shortage. The position was a very serious one, and he would like to know when there would be any relief. Mr. Lee said the Court had not yet made its award in tha dispute. The Prime Minister had communicated with the Judge to-day asking him when the award would be made. Mr. Lee recapitulated what he said previously about the Court wishing to see the men at their work. Neither the House nor the Ministry, he added, would interfere with the Court. A large quantity of sugar was lying in the sheds at Chelsea, but the men were not inclined to handle it, and consequently it could not be taken to Auckland and shipped away. Small quantities had been lifted by. sending carts to Chelsea on the ferry boats and transporting it in that way, but the method was too slow and expensive. The , Atua was lying at Auckland with three or four thousand tons of sugar, and alongside her was another ship which was to sail for the South, and they were trying to get some of the sugar transferred. Even then the difficulty in regard to industries would not be ended, for he understood that for such purposes only refined sugar could be used. The works had been closed for three weeks, and there was very little refined sugar in stock. It would be some time after the works resumed before there was any refined sugar available for the factories. The raw sugar could be used, and he understood was used to a considerable extent, in the home. Message From the Judge.

The Prime Minister at this stage said it was rather a coincidence that two telegrams had just been placed in his hands ' concerning the sugar question. The first was from the President of the Arbitration Court, Mr. justice Stringer, saying that the Court proposed to visit the works this week. From this it might be deducted that the award might be expected this week. The other message was from the general manager of the company in Sydney, stating that no further negotiations were necessary as the men knew that the company was agreeable to their resuming work from tho day of the award Mr W E Parry (Auckland Central) then 'neked the Minister if he had seen a paragraph published in Auckland aJegmg that one of the men whom the company objected to re-employ'.ng had been in the service of the company for 38 years, and whs this objection not contrary to the spirit of the Arbitration Act? Mr. Lee said he d d not know the facts and so did not care to express any opinion. He was told the other day that an opinion he had expressed was a wrong one, and so he did not care to express any opinion in this matter without the frets. ..*."«... Difficult to Get Facts. Mr. H. Poland (Obinemuri): Can yon not get the facts! Mr. Lee: It is a very difficult matter to do so as they differ so materially on the different sides. ... , , Mr. J. Horn (Wakatipu) said he had ! received a message from a district in the South Island stating that they had had no sugar there for a fortnight, people could get only one pound at a time, and many of them had to travel long distances to get that. He asked that a couple of tons might be sent there, as raw sugar would suit the people very well. He asked that he might nave a sufficiently definite assurance to enable him to telegraph to the district that relief would be afforded. The Minister replied that it would be no use hiß holding out any hopes in the meantime. Until sugar came South he could not give any such assurance. Even if any did come at all he could not promise that two tons would be sent to this district. The same scarcity obtained all ' over the Dominion, and was liable to be- ; came very much worse in the next day or two.